CHALMETTE, La. (AP) -- A collision between a train and a tank truck killed the truck driver and sparked a fire that sent thick black smoke over this New Orleans suburb Friday morning, the St. Bernard Parish Fire Department said.
At least two other people were hurt but the extent of their injuries was not known, according to Mike Sanders, a spokesman for the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office. Identities of the dead and injured were not available.
``The train was eastbound and somehow came in contact with an 18-wheeler tanker truck carrying some type of fuel,'' Sanders said.
The Sheriff's Office got the call at 10:05 a.m., Sanders said.
``They didn't have to say much, we saw it from where we were. There was a lot of smoke,'' Sanders said.
The fire was under control by 11 a.m.
Area resident Sheila Wallace said she heard a series of explosions and first thought there was trouble at a nearby refinery.
``The black smoke was everywhere. We were really scared. I think everyone that lives around here was scared,'' Wallace said.
The accident happened along St. Bernard Highway near Paris Road. Parish president Henry ``Junior'' Rodriguez said that benzene counts in the sewer system were found to be high after the accident. That led to a few businesses near the accident scene being evacuated briefly while the system was flushed out.
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